Heartbeat
by CeceVolume
Summary: She hadn't meant to help him escape; she just wanted the location of the cure. Now the humanity she holds dear is at stake and a war is looming on the horizon. Rated for future chapters.
1. Prologue

Prologue

_Five months ago in Atlanta, Georgia._

All the piece were there; she just needed to connect them to figure out the picture they made. From the article that started the war on immortals to The Hybrid's capture, it was all laid out in the historic papers she had managed to find, chronicling moments in time that had brought her to this inevitable fate.

She couldn't live like this for much longer, a vampire seeping with bloodlust and the constant urge to give up her emotions and turn herself over to the darkness welling inside her. She had never been prepared for the chance that this might actually happen to her.

If you would have told her three years ago that someday she would _be_ one of the creatures of the night her parents had warned her about, she never would have believed you. She probably would have just laughed in your face for being an idiot.

In those three years, however, she'd gone from Prom Queen to Bloodsucking Parasite. All because of a car accident only she had survived-just no longer human.

She could remember that night hazily, just like with all her human memories. It had been raining, she knew, and everything was slippery. She was sitting in the front seat with her boyfriend's best friend while her boyfriend sat in the back. They had been arguing, she knew, but about what she couldn't remember. The best friend had tried to calm them both down, not seeing the person jump out in front of the car until it was almost too late.

He hit the brakes at the same time he jerked the steering wheel to the right, causing her boyfriend to slam against the car door as they went off road. As they rolled in the ditch, she could remember hearing the shattering of the windshield, the crack of the roof falling in on itself. Then there was the sickening—but oh-so-clear—sound of her friend's head doing the same as he was thrown around.

To this day, she didn't know what happened to her boyfriend.

But she was thrown from the car. When the paramedics and police showed up, they wrote in their report that she wasn't breathing, that she was bleeding from multiple heavy wounds. By the time she got to the hospital, though, the wounds were beginning to clot normally. They did several "vampire tests" on her before wondering at the miracle before them.

Only she _was_ a vampire. She had no idea how she passed those tests. The vervain hadn't burned her like acid, the sunlight had really only hurt her eyes. There was no way that she could possibly be a vampire.

Except that she was. As she had been lying on the ground in pain, feeling the world closing in on her, the person they'd swerved to avoid had come up to her. He'd stood above her—tall, dark, and intimidating. He'd bitten open his wrist before crouching down to force it into her mouth. Though she'd fought against it, she was no match for him.

When he'd wrapped his hands around her face, he'd murmured, "Find him and get the cure." Then he'd snapped her neck, ensuring that she would wake up a vampire.

That one sentence had taken over her life. Every waking moment was devoted to becoming human again. Nothing else had mattered. Guilt had continuously assuaged her because she _had_ gone through transition. She'd drank from someone and bolted, leaving behind her human life. She didn't _want_ to die; she just wanted to be mortal. To do mortal things.

And now she had the papers that would lead her so much closer to the cure. They were stacked in her hands, the biggest piece of her intricate puzzle that would lead her to the one creature in existence that knew where the cure was, how to use it.

If she paid close enough attention to the details, she could find the whereabouts of The Hybrid, that elusive monster that had been captured decades ago. If she could find where he was being held, she could get an interview with him, could get him to tell her where the cure was. She was sure of it.

But she needed to start from the beginning. She needed to read through all these papers and figure out—without doubt—where The Hybrid was being kept.

_January, 1950_

**Supernatural Creatures Exist!**

_ No, this is not a false account meant to give you entertainment. All over the world, vital information is being made public, starting in these United States! These creatures have lived amongst us for centuries and yet we believed them to be mere stories! They are very real, citizens, and they have the power to turn our world upside down._

_ The "information leak" began here in the United States when confidential papers were stolen and released to all. This happened through other powerful countries throughout the world mere days later, bringing forth an investigation for the parties involved._

_ But all this leads us to wonder: did our leaders—those meant to protect us—know of this threat and refuse to let us know? Did they hide such vital information from us? It is deeply disturbing, to say the least. If they did, then they have put us all in danger for a very long time. This reporter sincerely hopes that this is simply not true._

_ As of yesterday, there is an emergency United Nations meeting. Since the information on supernaturals was exposed, more countries have since joined the organization in hope to find a way to keep them under control._

_ We will release more information as it becomes available, but so far several species have been confirmed:_

_Vampires  
Werewolves  
Witches  
Ghosts/Spirits_

_ We have been asked to warn all our readers that these creatures are all dangerous. Extreme caution it necessary until safety measures can be enacted. Be safe, citizens._

-.-.-.-.-

**United Nations Statement**

_ Citizens of the world, we know that this is a rather unprecedented situation and that you are all on high alert and worrying for your safety. Your leaders would like to share some information with you in hope that it will assuage your nerves._

_ Contrary to what has been reported by ill-repute papers, our countries' leaders were completely unaware of these monsters' existence. They would not put their citizens in danger by keeping vital information from them. The groups that gathered all the information on these supernaturals are in no way affiliated with any government, but are private groups._

_ Despite the lack of knowledge on the government's part, we are all—as a united world, not separate countries—working together on a plan of action. We will make sure that our people are safe from the menace that plagues our lives. We will keep you all safe._

_ For the time being, there will be curfews enacted around the world, as well as all our armies being pulled back home to protect our people._

_ Put your trust in us, citizens, and we will keep you safe from harm._

-.-.-.-.-

**United Nations Transcripts  
**_Note: names of country representatives have been censored for their safety._

**Head Council (HC): **_We are here to discuss the matter of "supernatural" creatures and their existence. As the matter has become public, we must decide on a plan of action. There must be an agreement between all countries involved over what we will use as security measures until further study can be done. We are working towards a united front against this threat. If these monsters sense that we are no longer unified, they could easily wipe us all out. We have a group of specialists here—note my gesture towards the Mystic Falls Council—that have dealt closely with these creatures for decades and know what must be done to protect us, such as weaknesses, strengths, etc. They now have the complete attention of this gathering and all will show them due respect. Mr. Fell, you have the floor._

**Mystic Falls Council Representative (MFC):** _Thank you all very much for your hospitality, though I wish I could be here with less dire information than what I have. Our council has faced countless beasts throughout it's time and we have learned much about them, things that have been passed through generations. However, we have focused primarily on vampires because they are the biggest threat to mankind. Werewolves are deadly, yes, but the only true time to fear them is during the full moon when they "shift" into true wolves. They are easy to spot, though, as humans; they run with a pack. And witches…most would war beside humans rather than across us. They strive for balance, not bloodshed. But vampires…they will destroy us all with hardly a blink. They are faster, stronger, and deadlier than humans in every way. They drink our blood, control us with what we have called "compulsion". There is only one poison to them: vervain. When in a human's system, they can't be compelled and drinking their blood will burn the vampire. Just a touch of the plant will cause untold pain to a vampire—_

**Soviet Union representative (SU):** _I mean no disrespect to you, Mr. Fell, but that doesn't explain to us how we find the vampires. If they are as we have been told, they look and act like humans. The only way to tell them apart from the people is when it is already too late. If we're to contain them, we need to know how to find them out._

**MFC:** _ Yes, of course. Well, other than the vervain test, there are quite a few other things that you will note about them. They cannot walk into direct sunlight—ever. They will be people that don't come out during the day, drifters that show up in the shelter of night. If you have a witch nearby—though this is in extreme cases—they will be able to tell by just a touch on the vampire's skin. You know that they are trying to compel you when their eyes dilate then return to normal quickly and they order you to do something. But the most telling sign is that they lack a—_

And that was where the transcript abruptly cut off. She had begged her contact for more, to find out what the humans did and did not know at that time, but only this first page of the meeting could be located, leading her to believe that the rest had been destroyed due to some unsightly discussions that had occurred later on. Though this information wasn't necessarily _important_ to her finding the cure, she felt as if it were entirely too necessary for her to read the rest.

But she _did_ need to know what she was up against. So far, she had shown that she was not _as_ affected by vervain as other vampires, though it did leave a rather pungent aftertaste burning in the back of her throat. And she had bought a ring off a rogue witch a few months after she was turned that allowed her to walk in the daylight.

Yet this didn't matter. She had learned in her human life things that hadn't prepared her for the brutal reality of immortal life. She was hunted constantly, had had to learn how to cover her tracks wherever she went so she left no trail behind. The kind police officers from her childhood that had once given her candy would now shoot her full of wooden bullets and drag her off to "research facilities" that she hadn't known existed before she was turned. The friends she had once counted on to always have her back would turn her in for a bounty that rested upon every supernatural's head. Even her own mother would look at her with disgust and dread before trying to kill her.

If she knew her enemies, though, she had a better chance of surviving until she got the cure, until she returned to her normal life.

And those weren't her only potential obstacles on the way to becoming mortal once more. She heard many stories about Originals—vampires that were the first of their kind and very much alive. Having learned quickly to never completely give up on an idea, she believed that they were out there, somewhere, just waiting for their chance to attack. And she very much doubted they'd want a cure released. It was too dangerous for their livelihood.

Proof—if it wasn't doctored so that governments could look better—of their existence was currently in her hands on a piece of paper, aged, worn, and torn from it's bindings.

_April, 1950_

_Diary, the humans have announced our existence to the world. They have started taking—I say this only in the hope that they haven't killed them—some of the friends I have made here. Vampires, werewolves, witches…it seems the only creatures capable of keeping under the humans' radar are my brother's creations. They look and feel more like humans than we do, which makes them almost undetectable._

_I'm worried, Diary. What if they take my Stefan next? I'm strong enough to fight off their attacks, but I don't feel that Stefan would be able to do what's necessary to protect himself._

_He is so kind and gentle; he still dreams of being a doctor for those beasts that hunt us. I just don't see him killing even to protect himself. He would sooner let them capture him than do anything that would actually put them down. And even if he did, he would hesitate, giving them the opening they needed._

_I worry for him, Diary._

_Now, I must go, however. I hope that I never have to find out the answers to the questions I have written here. I really, truly do._

_R_

And that wasn't all she had on those mysterious beings. Though none of it exactly confirmed that they were indeed Originals, their hints at unbelievable strength and near invincibility had her certain that they were out there somewhere, whether they had been captured or were merely in hiding for the time being.

Further along in her "studies", there were letters, notes, plans. All signed with single initials and giving cryptic information. They usually coincided with announcements or big changes in the humans' reactions to the supernaturals living alongside them, leading her to believe that the Originals had a very extensive line of informants and connections that were near-constantly feeding them information.

_December, 1950_

_To Whom It May Concern:_

_The research facility is complete and ready for subjects. It has been built in such a way to house numerous creatures that you have for us, though tests will not be done at this time._

_Mystic Falls Council_

-.-.-.-.-

_E,_

_Why are you so worried, brother? So what if the humans are now aware of our lives beside theirs? It is high time they bow down to us, wouldn't you say? We are stronger, smarter, faster, and most importantly older than they could ever hope to be. They are no threat to us and treating them as such is a mockery of what we are._

_Now, I must ask you to cut your illogical worries out of your correspondence with our sister. You know she worries needlessly—and constantly—about her precious baby vampire and I am the one that must calm her as you have decided to go off chasing that peasant girl from our time in Bulgaria._

_N_

Even when countries started putting out protection plans in February, 1951, letters continued to be sent between the siblings, telling each other to keep calm and carry on. This lead her to the conclusion that there were five siblings in the Original family: E, F, N, K, and R. If she was right, that meant she needed to be wary of five ancient vampires that could kill her with little more than a flick of their wrists.

She was potentially setting herself at odds with creatures who ages were _multiples_ of her own.

But it was surprising to her to have found letters and journal entries from other vampires, as well as werewolves and witches. And they held just as important—if not more so—information.

_March, 1951_

_This could not have come at a better time! I was just under their noses, backed into a corner. But now they're all distracted enough for me to run once again! I may yet keep on with the life I lead, journal of mine, something that I am more than happy to continue. It is survival of the fittest, now._

_Because what they haven't noticed is that vampires are already adapting to this new threat. If they didn't turn blind eyes to the others out there, they would see how powerful we all are growing, how easy it would be to take the humans down a peg or two._

_We are creatures that survive. We've overcome death; teaching ourselves some new tricks is nothing compared to that. It's only been a year since the humans started hunting us in full force, but we are already changing so that it's harder to be detected, to be found out._

_Why, yesterday I even met a vampire that could swallow vervain without flinching, though the inside of his mouth was a bit worse for wear._

_Hundreds of years ago, vampires mastered the offensive; now it's time for us to make our defense concrete as well._

-.-.-.-.-

_Our Lords and Lady,_

_Please help us. You must know of the humans' plan to hunt our people to extinction. We have started to go missing all over the world. You are the only ones with the strength and power to lead us all into a battle we haven't begun to prepare you. Only under you could we be brought out of this onslaught with our numbers in tact._

_You are the strongest beings in the world. If you all band together with us, we could defeat them. I beg you, help us!_

_Your Loyal Servant,  
Rose_

That was only one of many letters begging for their assistance. There were dozens written to the legendary Original family, pleading with them to provide some sort of organized attack against the humans that hunted them.

All, however, went without answer.

Until 1952, when the Originals were attacked personally.

_July, 1952_

_Brother, F and S are missing. Their usual contacts haven't heard from them in weeks or have fallen off the edges of the earth themselves. I understand they enjoy their privacy, but I do not think this is pertaining to that particular trait of theirs._

_I believe now is the time for me to worry, as well as you and our other siblings._

_E_

So, one of the Originals was captured—she didn't know who his companion might be. Though she hadn't found a response to the letter, she had no doubt that it had begun a revolution fueled by the power of the remaining siblings. Taking their brother was a clear declaration of war and one that wouldn't go unnoticed. The humans had wanted to draw them out; they had done so magnificently.

_If I had any siblings,_ she thought to herself, _ I would fight for them to the death._

She knew it wasn't as simple as that; this had to deal with the possible extinction of their entire species. _Her_ species. There were many variables that needed to be considered before they actually went about retaliating. Would they attack head on or sneak in and slowly destroy everything the humans were creating? Where would they attack first and when? What would happen if they lost?

It was obvious now that they had. But she had twenty-twenty hindsight, they did not. Though she couldn't be sure what they did, she knew that it had caused quite a stir in the general populace, spreading panic and fear.

Because they were put on the Most Wanted List.

_October, 1952_

**Supernaturals Most Wanted**

_Due to recent events, we want all citizens around the world to be aware of several major threats to humanity. They walk amongst us and are all believed to be very dangerous._

The "Originals"—a "family of 5 "siblings" that are believed to be the origins of vampirism, though the cause is currently unknown. We have already captured one that we believe is a "sibling", but we must gather more information first. There are no known recent locations or names. Pictures below only show two brothers and a sister; no others have been found.

George Lockwood—leader of several wolf packs who follow loyally. Approach with extreme caution as this is the strongest known werewolf at this time. Last known location was Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. See picture below.

Sheila Bennett—leader of a growing rogue witch "coven", giving aid to other supernatural creatures. Despite this, she will not directly hurt a human, but caution is still suggested. Last known location was Salem, Massachusetts, USA. See picture below.

Katerina Petrova—vampire, no real affiliations. Believed to have close ties to the "Originals". Bloodline is that of the powerful Petrova doppelgangers. Approach with extreme caution. Last known location was Alexandria, Egypt. See picture below.

The Hybrid—considered a myth. Part werewolf, part vampire. If seen, do not approach under any circumstance. Lethal. No know location or name. See below for artist rendering.

_If any of these creatures are in your area, do not engage them unless trained to do so. Let your local authority know when and where they were last seen._

_Thank you and God bless._

-.-.-.-.-

_You must return to us, brother. They are now getting closer and closer to finding our family. We must come together as one and take care of this threat once and for all. Otherwise this could prove the end of our very long lives._

_E_

That was when human generals and leaders started going missing. Battlefields full of humans sucked dry and torn viciously apart showed the kind of massacre these monsters were capable of. People started barricading themselves into their homes at night, fearing their own neighbors. They worried for their safety whenever darkness came over them. Much like the Salem Witch Trials, many were accused simply because people were hoping to play the system, to get some bitter enemy taken out of the picture.

It became complete and utter chaos for awhile.

By the time she was born, though, it had calmed down to almost nothing. She still had to wear and drink vervain every day, but there weren't boobie-traps throughout her house. She was allowed outside the house past dark, so long as she carried wolfsbane, vervain, and a stake with her. Her mother had taught her how to wield that stake, not the school.

It had been less of a threat because the government was protecting her. Except she had still been turned. There were still monsters out there that had gotten past all the precautions. Just like her.

Which was why she needed the cure. How long until she was found out? She couldn't live this way any longer. It was too much to control her bloodthirst with stolen blood bags that could have saved lives. Every day was a battle she might not win with the monster inside. Holding onto her humanity was all she had left, and the thread was beginning to unravel on that.

_June, 1953_

_To Whom It May Concern:_

_We have clear evidence that The Hybrid is alive and well. He may have the means to create more like him, though we can't be sure of that. Also, it is believed that he knows the whereabouts of the cure to vampirism._

_However, we have found the perfect specimen to experiment with a cure of our making. We do not suggest that The Hybrid should be captured. Rather, he should immediately be put down as he is too powerful for an entire army to kill._

_Mystic Fall Council_

-.-.-.-.-

_Dear Mystic Falls,_

_Hello. I don't believe we've met, but you have all just become a source of my wrath. You have taken my lover and I wish to have him back._

_The longer you take, the more your citizens die._

_Sincerely,  
R_

-.-.-.-.-

_Nancies,_

_Release my brother before I have to go through the trouble of killing you all. I know you are considering him a test subject, but only I am allowed to torture him._

_So hand him over and no one gets hurt._

_DS_

It was surprising to her that test subjects were being brought into the facilities. And the number of them. That lover and brother were only the first of many to be knowingly used as guinea pigs to find a man-made cure for vampirism. There were records of thousands of vampires dying under the intense torture, finally falling into true death at the hands of masked guards and scientists.

As she dug deeper, it became all the more clear that they were desperate for something that would turn vampires back into humans. There were so many theories on how to find a cure that all of it was beginning to jumble in her mind, making it hard for her to understand. The humans wondered what a cure would accomplish: would those people die as they hadn't before or was it a serum to fix death? Could they use it as a dart or was it a spell done by a witch? Should they keep a few vampires alive in cages so they could take _their_ blood and cure the sick and hurt?

Would they be able to give it to all vampires? Would it reveal the mystery around the species' creation?

Whatever the answer, it had the Originals on edge. As whispers of a cure grew, the remaining siblings became increasingly uneasy, sending more letters to one another until….

_September, 1956_

_They've taken your brother, My Lord. A human stabbed him through the heart with one of your family's stakes. I fear that is what they plan to do to all of you. Your brother was a good man and deserved much more than to be carted away like a corpse, but I'm afraid I don't know where they've taken him._

_All I can ask of you is to heed this warning and run. Run far away, My Lord, and wait until the time is right to strike._

_Your Loyal Servant,  
Trevor_

-.-.-.-.-

_R,_

_I know what the humans are after, sister. They want to find the cure to vampires, to us._

_Don't let them get it._

_K_

She would have expected there to be an immediate war after yet another brother was captured, only able to write one last note to their sister. Two siblings had been taken to most likely be tortured for information; the other three had to return that volley, right? It was the only thing that made sense.

Only they hadn't.

It was completely silent on their end for two months. No letters, journals, or even a scribble. It was like they dropped off into Narnia and schemed their revenge there. In fact, other than K's letter, there was only one hint at their personal lives until 1959.

_Novemeber, 1956_

_We must attack these labs __now__. They have taken too many of our family members and comrades. This cannot be tolerated any longer._

_I say we all go to the nearest one on Christmas and attack when they are least prepared. They cannot take us all._

_N_

However, he had been incredibly wrong about that. Though it had been the massacre he'd no doubt believed it would be, the sides were switched. It was _his_ comrades that had taken heavy losses. Unfortunately, the humans had come far more prepared than ever before.

All over the world, creatures were ambushed and killed. Few were taken alive and even fewer escaped. Amongst the missing were E and R, leaving N as the last Original sibling. All his siblings had been taken now, leaving most supernaturals shaking in fear for their future.

They were a message to all: the humans would win, no matter the cost. Yes they would suffer casualties, but they would defeat beings more powerful than them even if it took their last breath.

She could remember having the kind of tenacity. It was something she'd lost after being turned, replaced with an increased sense of survival. As a human, she'd known that her days were, in fact, numbered, that at some point she would die. So she'd lived day by day. But as a vampire there was the possibility of living forever.

And a secret part of her _wanted _that. To live until the end of time.

It seemed to be the running feeling of the vampire world. They all wanted to live as long as possible. It was as if all natural instincts were amplified once you were turned, making it impossible to ignore them.

Even N—whom she was starting to suspect was actually The Hybrid himself—was showing signs of fear for his life. His suspected movements showed he never lived in one place for long; he caused his mayhem and left before he could be captured. There were always signs that he left behind, to let them know that he could come and go as he pleased, that he could worm his way past all their defenses.

So when he finally made contact after three years of near silence, all hell broke loose.

_August, 1959_

_United Nations and Council Members,_

_You have been searching for me for years. You've wondered what my plans are, so I thought I might throw you dogs a bone._

_I plan on exposing you all for what you really are: cowards. So quick to turn on your friends, family, and allies at the flip of a switch. I have spent a thousand years doing favors for others and I have begun calling them in._

_For instance, do you know how easy it is to become a politician? Or to gain the most trust a politician can give? My people do. We've been studying it for centuries. It made it so easy for my men to infiltrate your ranks and start going to your little meetings. And there are some that aren't just vampires; I have my own creations on my side. They feed me information on your movements, on how far along you are with your cure research._

_I know you might not believe this—that is you prerogative—but how else would I know your movements against me? I wouldn't have been able to know you followed me into France last March as I searched for my siblings. But I escaped you once again._

_As I will continue doing while you tear yourselves apart trying to find my spies. Soon I will take you all down once and for all._

_Fondly,  
The Hybrid_

He taunted the United Nations for months with letters just like that one, threatening them with hybrids that she doubted were within their ranks. But he held off a true battle with them, making tension rise for over a year before he finally went after them. He just kept taunting them until they nearly fell apart.

Then, in December of 1960, he attacked the United Nations with an army of supernaturals behind him. He went after the leaders and killed or turned nearly all of them, leaving only one or two survivors. He and his army were on the verge of winning the war they'd started.

But the sudden entrance of a new group known simply as "hunters" threw that all away. They were trained to be uncaring, to move as fast as a human was physically capable of doing. Most of all, they were lethal. When they joined the fray, none of the creatures stood a chance. The hunters—led by five "generals"—turned the tide of the battle, effectively ending the short-lived war.

And that led to the immediate capture of The Hybrid on December 14, 1960.

They had moved him—now positively ID'd as Niklaus Mikaelson, the final sibling of the Original family—several times until they could find or build a facility strong enough to hold him, as he continued to thwart their attempts to keep him down. He almost broke out each time before they switched him to another facility, hoping that would be the one where they could keep him forever.

Going back into the records of the facilities, she found one that was had been intended for the Original _family_, only to be abandoned once they had actually captured several of them. The building was built so that no unauthorized person could hope to leave. It had two floors above ground, one buried deep beneath, if the blueprints still held true. There were only four rooms in the very bottom separated by indestructible doors with no windows. There was absolutely no contact with the outside world and however long they were there, they never saw sunlight again. In the control room—which could only be accessed by two people at any point in time—there was a button that made the explosives build into the walls explode.

And somehow she doubted such an expensive building was just being left to rot.

So, with all the information she had, Caroline Forbes began planning and preparing for her meeting with The Hybrid.

-.-.-.-.-

He slammed his fist into the floor of his—what did the humans call it?—_kennel_, knowing that it was useless. Even if he could dig his way out, it would take too much of his precious little energy to go under the entire building. He was at least thirty feet underground in the very middle of a structure a mile in diameter and he wasn't even given a full pint of blood a day.

The energy he needed to escape just wasn't forthcoming.

But he had a plan; he always had a plan. He knew how to escape, the only question was when. There were no hostages to take since none of the humans got close to him. Though he'd tried continuously to beat down the barrier between him and the outside rooms, it barely dented the shield of metal. He couldn't risk the last of his energy destroying it if he wanted to make it back to civilization at some point.

So he'd decided to wait until his opportunity arose to fight back. He had all the time in the world.

Then he would take his revenge.

_My newest story! I hope you enjoyed the prologue; the first chapter will be up on April 23rd without fail. ;)_

Check out my Tumblr! The link is on my page. There you can get updates, spoilers, etc. :D


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Standing between two guards at a maximum lockdown facility, she was glad that she'd gotten all the credentials she needed—a fraudulent Witch License with the Supernatural Internal Affairs Bureau coupled with a few fashioned missions. Now, here she was in the rainiest city in the continental US.

And Caroline Forbes didn't _do_ rainy.

She did sunshine and beaches, sundresses and curls. But all she saw were clouds and raindrops, her jacket and jeans soaking, her hair stuck to her scalp. Even inside the building, it was cold, unforgiving. She wasn't shivering—the cold rarely got to her anymore—but that didn't stop her from knowing that she should be.

Perhaps this wasn't the brightest plan she'd had in her life. Bad omens like this weather and the near-cancellation on her flight had been following her since she'd started searching for The Hybrid and she didn't know what to make of it. Was this nature's way of telling her that she should abandon her intentions of finding what she so desperately craved? Maybe being human again just wasn't in the cards for her. Maybe she should forget all of this and learn to be a vampire.

No. She couldn't afford to think that way; she had come too far to give up now. Since she'd been turned, she'd made it her mission to find the cure, to give herself the choice for a normal human life.

Instead of quitting now, she would push forward, take this as far as she could. Though getting information out of The Hybrid might prove impossible, she _would_ find the cure by whatever means necessary. It was something she couldn't just walk away from, something she'd put so much effort into over the past few years. If she did, she would be stuck as a monster forever, and that was not something she could do.

The bloodlust was something she'd only just gotten under a semblance of control. Rarely could she control the constant emotional turmoil caused by heightened feelings. Several times, she'd cried over spilt milk—literally.

And there was still the ever-present fear of detection by the human populace; all the things she had learned would protect her in the past were now weaknesses to be exploited. Things that had been done out of routine could now potentially kill her, should she not pay close enough attention. Not to mention the very-real fear that she might take an innocent person's life. She had avoided it thus far, but that didn't mean it couldn't happen in the future.

It wasn't fair that she was forced to go through this, that she hadn't been given a choice in the matter; that vampire could have easily turned her boyfriend to save his life. So why had it been her? Shouldn't she have chosen whether she wanted to live this life or not? Wasn't that her right since it was, at the end of the day, her life?

Bur someone else had taken that away from her. Some unknown vampire had taken her choice to have a normal human life or become a monster. For what purpose, she might never know, yet it really didn't matter. The reasoning was of no consequence, though; either way, she was a parasite now.

Which she would change soon. Very soon.

That was her mantra as she followed behind the soldiers with practiced confidence, moving towards the Seattle facility's office. Everything around her was bland; she had to blend in, otherwise she would draw too much attention. If she kept calm and looked like she belonged, there was less of a chance that someone would catch something off about her.

The office was the only thing on the second and topmost floor. It was a small control room that she had learned housed the master button. If pressed, it would set off the explosives that lined the walls, the last line of defense should The Hybrid escape. The plan was to bury him in so much rubble and debris that he'd be buried for a very long time—maybe even forever. Along with every human within, who were never told of what could happen, just that there were security measures in place to protect them.

"Miss Smythe," one of the guards said as he turned to face her, standing beside the door at the top of the stairs. "Colonel Fell is waiting for you in here. He will ultimately make the decision of whether or not you can speak to The Hybrid. Any information you are given while down there, you must share with the soldiers that escort you off the premises." His eyes traced over her appreciatively, though his features remained stoic as he spoke.

She nodded, carefully schooling her features into quiet calm. "I understand the need for precautions here," she answered, keeping her eyes locked steadily with his. "But I also know that I might be the only witch capable of forcing him to reveal the location of the cure. I've been honing my skill for years, unlike others of my kind who have taken to the offensive rather than the defensive."

Though Caroline had practiced her story extensively, she still felt rattled, nervous that someone would see through her disguise. She'd never gone so in depth with a lie when those she was trying to deceive were trained to detect such lies. One slip up and they would capture her, perhaps even kill her; they might not want to have a vampire immune to vervain running around. It wasn't safe for humans that she could easily drink the substance with their blood without really noticing it.

But she couldn't afford to think that way. She needed to focus on the problem at hand. She was, at the very foundation of her character, a problem solver, not a worrier.

The second guard gave her the once-over as well—except his gaze was cold, calculating, not appreciative. She knew that he didn't believe her, at least not completely. He obviously sensed that there was something she didn't want them to find out.

Yet, after a few terrifyingly tense moments, he still pushed the door open for her, his stance rigid beneath his uniform. As his eyes tracked her inside, she felt an uncomfortable ball form in the pit of her stomach, making her realize that something wasn't right with this scenario.

She felt like she was walking straight into a trap.

But she let go of that thought as she came face to face with Colonel Logan Fell, a Mystic Falls native who had gone into the family business—capturing and experimenting on supernatural creatures through whatever means necessary. Logan was known for being even more ruthless than the other Mystic Falls Council members, believed to be caused by the fact that almost all of his family was decimated in a vampire attack when he was still just a child.

He was definitely a good-looking man, to say the least. At forty-five, he still had the lean physique and dark hair coupled only with a light dusting of gray at his temples. There were laugh lines at the corners of his eyes, an attractive strength in his character. His face held a roguish flair to it that no doubt drove the women around him crazy. If you were human, he would probably charm you into buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

His eyes at this moment, however, would have scared any human away. The color had darkened so much that she couldn't be sure whether they were brown, blue, or green. Hatred and distrust morphed them into something inhuman, forcing her to hold back a shiver of discomfort. It he kept looking at her like that…she was afraid that she might be frightened out of her mission.

"Please, _Miss Smythe_," he said without rising from his chair, his voice just barely above a snarl, "take a seat. A _witch_ with your _credentials_ should have the best seat in the house!" Sarcasm lit his tone, setting her on edge.

He had to have figured her out. It was the only thing that made sense. Why else would he be so obviously hostile? Her heart sped up from its usual slow beat, fear spiking. They would capture her right now and all her work would be for nothing. She would lose everything just because she had been too impatient.

Then her vampirism kicked in, her eyes finding every possible exit without actually moving. If she could make her move before Fell could call in his guard dogs, she could knock him out and run before anyone thought to chase her. And, if worse came to worst, she could hit the button to explode the entire building; as a vampire, she could survive it.

Probably.

Just as she tensed to put her plan into action, Fell stood up, coming around to sit on the edge of his desk in front of her. He looked so relaxed, but the predator within her recognized that it was simply the eye of the storm. What _he_ didn't know, however, was that she couldn't be lulled into a false sense of security. She _did_ the lulling.

"You wanna know something?" he asked, his tone light and friendly as his hard gaze caught hers. "My grandfather was the United Nations' go-to on all things supernatural: how to find, to hurt, to _destroy _them. He started an information revolution that continues to this day," he said calmly as he leaned back, grabbing a mosquito-in-amber paperweight. He turned it over and over in his hand, studying it from every angle.

For a moment, he kept his eyes on it intensely, his hand clenching tightly before he returned it to his desk. He turned back to her, giving a charming smile before he spoke, rage glittering behind his eyes. "He passed his obsession with vampires onto my father. They wanted nothing more than to cure all those parasites before going on to the other supernaturals out there.

"But I've learned not to trust any supernatural, not just the bloodsuckers. Werewolves, witches…it makes no difference. You're all the same. You might work with us for now—as it is in your best interests—but when you tire of that, you'll gladly kill us all." His expression changed suddenly as he brought his face close to hers, his hand snatching her jaw. Gaze flashing with sadistic glee, he hissed through clenched teeth, "The only reason you're getting this 'interview', witch, is because I hope The Hybrid kills you."

He flung her face away from his brutally—at least it would have been if she wasn't physically stronger than him. Standing, he went back to the other side of the desk, sitting down and intertwining his fingers atop the oak. "There will be no one to save you when you're in there with him," he stated in a matter-of-fact way, keeping his eyes trained on her. "And if you _do _get the information out of him that you are obviously eager to, _I _will be the one that gets credit for it. I'll be given accolades and you'll get _nothing_.

"So, if you still want to go in there with him, you'll have one hour. Just one. If you don't get to that button before then, you'll be locked in with him. Just remember that."

He turned his head to rifle through the papers on his desk, waving a hand at her. "Now go. Having your kind in my office makes me physically sick."

Slowly going to her feet, Caroline felt an overloading sense of indignation rise within her. Not that she'd expected a warm welcome in the least, but this open hostility caught her off guard. She had thought that witches were trusted—at least registered ones—because they sided with humans. They _helped_ them; it was what they were known for.

But there was hatred abound for them as well, it seemed. Whether they were good or not, some people hated them simply for what they were, not _who _they were. Prejudice against all supernaturals colored even kind witches' lives, meaning that it had to have come after everyone.

Had she been like that as a human?

As she left the room, accompanied by the two guards who now seemed to be laughing at her, she realized the very real danger she was in. Going into a meeting with a prisoner that had been locked away from the sun for _decades_? Stupid. When that prisoner was The Hybrid, it became all the more idiotic of a plan. But asking him for information on the cure that would destroy his life as well made it a suicide mission.

So, while they took her further and further underground through a series of staircases to where The Hybrid was being kept, she thought through this choice of hers. Was she doing the right thing, going after the cure like this? She would most likely lose her life over something that might not even exist. Would that be worth it when she had an immortal life ahead of her? Potentially thousands of years to decide who she truly was, what she wanted?

_Don't quit_, she reminded herself, straightening rigidly. _Never give up. A Forbes never quits_.

This was what she wanted—to leave this time in her life far behind, to forget all about her time as an immortal. Honestly, she didn't even want the memory of being a vampire; all she wanted was to be a human again, to not have to worry about getting enough blood or being hunted.

"Here we are, Miss Smythe," one guard said as they came upon a heavy, glassless door. "We will go through all our security measures here and now so there is no confusion once you are in there."

The other guard looked at her square in the eyes, taking up where the other left off as if they had rehearsed this moment over and over. "Beyond this door is the room where Captain Young and I will be. Though we will remain armed with vervain darts and stakes, we have strict orders not to go inside with you.

"Now, on the wall beside the door," he paused to tap a spot to the right of the door, "there is an intercom system that connects you to us. Before your hour is up, contact us through that. We will then close the door that separates the two of you so we can let you out. You are to speak through the intercom a second time to tell us he is still in his ken—cell. That is the only time we will open the door; if you're attacked, we're to leave you in there. You will have no back up."

Shock rolled through her once again as she realized that she truly was on her own. No one was going to save her if—or, more accurately, _when_—everything went to hell in a hand basket. The Hybrid could attack her, _kill_ her, and no one would lift a finger to save or protect her. She was all alone on this one.

The fear filling her made her swallow hard before nodding slowly in understanding. She _had_ to do this for herself, even if it put her in danger. This was a mission she'd given to herself and she would see it through to the end. "I understand," she finally croaked past the lump in her throat, nodding a second time a little more confidently.

The soldiers inclined their heads in return before ushering her into the go-between room. It was a cement-walled, dimly lit space with three doors around her, one more closing at her back. Once again, there was absolutely no glass, not even for a small peephole. If someone disappeared into one of those other rooms, the people in the other part wouldn't know what was going on; they were literally locked away from the rest of the world.

_She_ would be locked away from the world.

With a mass murderer.

Demanding information from him that he probably didn't want to give.

The pit of her stomach roiled like it had the first time she'd gotten on a rollercoaster: she knew she couldn't get off, but she was desperate to. It was a fool's errand; she was going to get killed the moment she was alone with him. Even if she wasn't, this couldn't possibly end well. And with all the bad omens following her around, she couldn't be sure that anything would go right. Everything was going to fall apart, she suddenly thought, unable to control the errant thought.

But when they showed her to the door directly across from where they'd walked in, a perverse sense of excitement rose within her, something she wasn't able to explain. But her mind was wrapped around the idea that she was finally accomplishing something big in the way of her plan. It changed everything. If—_when_, she suddenly added to herself, despite her worries—she got her information, all she would have to do is go get the cure and take it. Nothing else would—could—happen. Right?

"We will open the door between you and The Hybrid after we have made sure this door is secured," Captain Young announced stoically as he turned to give her a not-so-subtle glare. His displeasure at being in her presence was palpable, something that was making her increasingly uncomfortable.

She had no reason to believe that, before the hour was over or not, they would actually let her out. With such animosity growing ever more present around them, she should have known better than to trust them for even a moment. The people here had no intention of allowing any supernatural creature to live forever; they wanted to wipe them all out. They had been trained to think that way, simple as that.

"Do not forget to press the intercom button when you are ready to come out," he said, cutting into her uncertainties unknowingly. "Do not knock on the door or try to gain our attention in any other way. Only the intercom will do."

Caroline just nodded once again, looking to the younger guard as he unlocked the door that stood between her and her unknown fate. It seemed to take him an eternity to open all the barricades, to usher her inside. Anticipation bubbled to the top of her known emotions, making it impossible for her to move fast enough in to the room. Even the finality of the sound of the door closing and locking behind her did nothing to calm the excitement in her stomach.

Though the room _was_ a bit of a downer. Dingy white-cement walls surrounded her on three sides, the other being the metal wall that would rise to bring her face to face with The Hybrid. That door was obviously the only thing that mattered when going about upkeep because it reflected the light given by the lone hanging lightbulb in the ceiling. The floor was grimy, caked with old dirt and…a blood stain? That couldn't be good.

Not that she really cared what this place looked like, so long as she was still given the opportunity to get the information she wanted.

The static of the intercom buzzing barely got through to her, the voice that followed slightly more so. "Miss Smythe, there is a table you will see once the door is opened. In preparation for your visit, The Hybrid has been without blood for several weeks. He will most likely not be able to move much, so do not be surprised if he remains wherever he is." The noise then cut off and the loud sound of gears shifting, the cracking of that large metal door rising off the ground, took over.

As it came up, she got to see piece by piece of the notorious, thousand-year-old monster. He was sitting on the floor across the room, one leg laid flat out away from him, the other brought up close to his chest. He was wearing a once-pristine suit, it seemed, having long since ditched his shoes and jacket. His arms hung limply at his sides, leaving his dingy, once-white undershirt exposed. His face was gaunt, looking thin and tired. That, along with his hair, was stained with something crusty and nearly black in color. His eyes remained closed even when the door opened fully, coming to a halting stop.

Though she should be terrified, her attention was caught by the pile of bones and uniforms pushed off to one side of his cell. It reminded her that there were always casualties in this war with the humans, that she might become one of those statistics in just a few minutes. This was a creature that had scoured the world—no doubt wreaking havoc wherever he went—for centuries: not your run-of-the-mill supernatural. He could do away with her as easily as he had those soldiers he'd apparently sucked dry.

Yet she still moved to the table, taking the seat closest to where she'd entered, as if it made a life or death difference. This wasn't a time for her to show fear or anxiety, not when she was facing off with a creature that could easily read her.

She would just get her information and go.

When she sat down, he seemed to twitch for a moment before he gave a small inhale and opened his eyes to look at her. The whites were flushed black, his irises yellow, but his fangs remained dormant and no veins showed in his face. He didn't move an inch yet gave off a frightening aura of violence that made her flinch inwardly. How could someone be so threatening without lifting even a finger?

"They sent a vampire in with me? I didn't know my _kennel_ was run by such idiots."

His voice was a rasp, as if his throat were as dry as his lips looked. Despite that, he managed to show his mocking. Coming to his feet, he seemed to force himself to move, his footsteps unusually graceful, considering how starved he had to be. He sank into the chair across from her with a small huff of breath, leaning back as he openly studied her, his eyes slowly fading back to a dark blue that would have been beautiful…if not for the spark of insanity behind them.

_Focus on the matter at hand_, she reminded herself, folding her hands together on the table. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I am a witch with the Supernatural Internal Affairs Bureau. My name is Elizabeth Smythe and I'm here to get information on the cure from you for the United States government." Caroline kept her voice strong and calm, as if she had done this a hundred times before. Bravado was her only real defense in this situation, something that she would cling to.

Raising an eyebrow at her, he shifted slightly forward in his chair. "You do realize that they cannot hear us, correct? They wouldn't want to feel any real emotion, should someone cry out for help from within. As you can see." He motioned lethargically towards the bones in the corner of the room. "That is all from one sitting, love, before that particular procedure came into action."

She couldn't help the way her eyes widened, shocked that he could drink so many people dry in just that one instance; he must have gorged himself.

This made the violent, bloodthirsty part of her come to the forefront of her mind, taking such control of her, for a second, that her face contorted to that of the monster within.

There was no hiding it; The Hybrid caught that brief instance of vulnerability and smirked tiredly. "You see? You have the looks of a vampire. That has only proved my theory of your true supernatural status," he said confidently. Despite his obvious fatigue, he seemed very intrigued by her, wasting his precious energy to taunt her more and more. "But, I must ask, why a _vampire_ is looking for the cure? You do know what that will do to you, don't you, love?"

She stiffened at that, shifting uncomfortably before replying, "That has nothing to do with you. I want the cure for my own reasons, and you're locked in here. There's no point in telling you about my decisions."

It was uncomfortable, the way he was watching her and it was putting her on edge. It was like he could see straight through her into her deepest desires. Could he tell that even now she had to battle down her vampire side, to hold it in check? Could he see her fear and excitement mingling at this moment? Or was he trying to distract his prey before he struck, giving her a sense of complicity before he attacked?

"So you don't want to be a vampire any longer?" he asked suddenly, looking as if he was genuinely confused about his conclusion. Was it really so shocking? "Do you really wish to be some weak, pathetic mortal with only a few decades to live when you've been offered an eternity to do as you please?"

Why did seemingly all the immortals she'd come into contact with not understand that living at the cost of innocent lives was too much for her, something she couldn't handle any longer? That she might _want_ to grow old with someone she loves, have babies and watch _them_ grow up?

That was the life she wanted, a life full of ups and downs, good and bad. And she wanted it because it was _normal_; feeling the need to kill those around her was _not_.

"Why shouldn't I be allowed to want human things?" she answered, leaning away from him to hide her unease. She kept her eyes locked with his, daring him to disagree with her. "I never asked to be immortal; I was turned without my consent. Unlike the vampires I've read about, I don't _like_ the thought of killing others to live forever. I don't _want_ to constantly feel hungry whenever some knicks their finger! What kind of a life is that? Can you answer me that?"

"What kind of a life is praying every day that it isn't you last, worrying over everything that you do with yourself?" he retorted quietly, his blue orbs flashing ominously. She could see the anger coming to the surface on his face, the quick flare of the monster within him. "As a vampire, there are no worries of sickness or pestilence; there are always veritable sources of blood to be had. No immortals have to worry about storms or political chaos. I for one have gone through centuries of turmoil with the humans and their conquerors," he added nonchalantly, shrugging to add emphasis.

She slapped her hands down on the table in frustration, nearly coming out of her chair. Were human lives really so inconsequential to him? Did they even matter after a thousand years? "At what cost?!" she hissed furiously. "Never mind the innocent lives you've taken; what if I want a family of my own? Children? I had a lifetime of choices to make and they were all taken away from me by some bozo who decided to feed me his blood! How is that _fair_?!"

Her breathing was heavy now, her heart thundering wildly in her chest. How _dare_ he act like immortality trumped all that, like it was some gift meant to be cherished! It was a curse!

Sure, she wasn't the most maternal or selfless of women—not to mention the fact that she couldn't see herself as a mother, not even when she was young—but that would change when she had kids, right? Or she might choose to never do so. But she needed the chance to pick the future she wanted.

It was more than what she could _get_ out of the scenario: she just wanted to make her own choices.

"You certainly play the victim well, _Elizabeth_," he murmured with a frown, his brow furrowing as he studied her even more. "I thought humans were taught to believe 'everything happens for a reason'? Perhaps you were _meant_ to be a vampire." He shifted slightly in his seat, a position of resting, like he was quickly losing the last of the energy he had left.

Unsure whether he was taunting her or just curious, she forced herself to calm once again, relaxing her stature. Wiping her hair out of her line of vision, she let out her breath slowly before speaking. "Vampires are monsters; why would I need to be one? What's the grand purpose behind that? Is there someone I'm supposed to _kill_, perhaps?"

Okay, so she didn't have to mock him; it probably wasn't her best choice. But it didn't matter. She was here and he was either going to kill her or she was going to walk away.

The Hybrid eyed her with a smirk, leaning forward in his chair to mutter, "Isn't it a bit…cliché to think of yourself as some dark monster from the abyss? Has your research taught you nothing about our kind?" His tone was lightly mocking, though she dared to say that his confusion was there once again.

It didn't change anything, however. She wasn't her to pacify the whims of this creature; there was a cure to be found and she needed to keep that in mind. "This is getting severely off topic; I came here for information on where the cure is, not to tell you about my personal feelings towards my life's…direction," Caroline said through slightly clenched teeth. Shoving the chair back from the table, she made like she would just walk away and leave if he didn't answer her next question to her exact specifications. "Now, tell me where the cure is."

"Such dangerous information does come with a cost, love," he replied easily, a statement that made her wary. What could he possibly demand of her in return? Her first born? He was locked away; how was she supposed to do anything for him?

As if she would give him anything. She was going to get the cure, take it, and sell the remainder to whatever country's government she found it in. Then all the vampires in the world would be cured and no one would have to worry about getting stalked in the dark. And she would do all this with or without this pain in her ass.

Standing from the chair, she leaned over the table with a devilish grin. "I don't think you're in any place to bargain with me, _Niklaus_," she said with saccharine sweetness. Oh, how delicious it was to be the one with the power! "So, if you won't help me, I'll just leave and find it myself. I'll put an end to all of this once and for all without you." She kept her eyes locked with his, barely able to do so as his gaze remained completely unwavering, unnerving.

He said nothing, just kept a smirk pulling at his pale lips. It was obvious what he was telling her silently, no matter how she hoped otherwise.

He wasn't going to help her.

Furious that she hadn't gotten the information she desperately wanted, that she had fought so hard for, she turned towards the door, slamming her finger into the intercom button to signal that she was ready.

The Hybrid's voice stopped her, though.

"Fifty-two years."

Spinning on her heel as the door started to slowly come down, she stared at him in shock, wondering what that half-smile on his face could possibly mean. What was going through the caged animal's mind? "What?"

As his face was being shrouded by the door, he muttered, "I've been waiting for fifty-two years, four months, and nine days."

"You've been waiting?" she asked quietly, only just loud enough to be heard over the whir of gears. "What have you been waiting for?" And how had he found the patience when he was locked away below ground for so long?

He said nothing, just stood from the chair in a strange position. She had no doubt he had to force himself to do so; he had to be almost completely out of strength. If she was digging deep, she might even admit that she felt bad for the poor guy. He was locked away and hadn't seen sunshine in decades.

So she turned away, not daring to actually watch it any longer, should she lose control of her emotions.

The door between them came closed with a definitive slam and she buzzed the intercom, announcing it was safe for them to open the door: The Hybrid was trapped on the other side.

It took them a moment to reply, but she could finally hear the locks clicking open, releasing her to her freedom to find the cure. It was strange though; she was sure that she felt a presence behind her, standing just a little bit too close.

Then she felt the breath at her ear.

"You. I've been waiting for you."

Just as the door swung open, his fangs sank deep into the skin of her neck, leaving her unable to do more than release a thin scream.

_This one is a little late, yes, but I ended up having to work and after the pilot...ugh. I was out of energy and inspiration. But here is the first chapter! I hope you all enjoy it. :)_

Check out my Tumblr page (the link is on my page here on FFNet) for spoilers, updates, random thoughts, etc. :D


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